Kit Harington: the honorable Jon Snow

To learn more about Kit Harington’s character in Game of Thrones, HBO made a Q&A with him. He portrays Jon Snow, the bastard boy from Ned Stark.

He started season 1 with the Stark family, where Lady Catelyn didn’t love him because he was a bastard. That’s why he joined the Night Watch, in which took some vows and he couldn’t break them. And now he is with the savages and he felt in love with Ygritte, one of them.

Jon made a long journey and he had to grow up really fast. Without his family, but with a lot of honor, he had to face a lot of obstacles.

In the Q&A, Kit answers the fan’s questions about Jon Snow, his relationship with Ygritte and other projects that he’s been doing.

What’s your favorite part about playing Jon Snow?

My favorite part about playing Jon Snow…hmmmm. I loved him when I first read him on paper when I first auditioned. I felt he was quite similar to me and I related to him in lots of ways. I think he has an amazing story through the show and gets through incredible things. My favorite thing is that he’s a really complex character in many ways and has many levels to him.

When playing Jon Snow, what would you do mentally and physically to project the character?

I always find getting into costume…into the cloaks/heavy boots that’s how I get into the character in the morning. I’ve been playing him long enough now, you’ve got easy roots into who he is and you can sort of get back to doing a new season and easily slip back into his characters. It’s one of the nice things about playing a regular character in something, you go on a long journey with them.

Jon Snow is quite sensitive…do you think being behind the wall will make him stronger?

Yeah! I think after this season there’s a big change that happens in him and he will become a tougher more brutal person. It has made him stronger, tougher and more honest about life and the brutality of love. I think he finishes the season in a place where he has to put up a wall inside himself.

Jon’s had to make a lot of hard choices over the course of the series. What do you think was his toughest decision to make and why?

I think his toughest decision comes later in this season. It’s one that really breaks him. He has one each season…not killing Ygritte making that call, not killing Quorin Halfhand that was really hard. There’s one later this season that breaks him emotionally.

Do you think his relationship with Ygritte can be good for Jon’s future?

I think you have to wait and and see. It’s a beautiful part of the story that these two people fall in love. It’s love that’s not connected to power and they truly love each other, which is rare in the series and the books. We don’t know whether it will work or if they’ll be together. Who knows, it’s up to Jon really.

How do you think Jon has developed as a character throughout the past 3 series?

I think he had to grow up very fast. What was interesting playing him was that in the book he was 14 or 15…a lot of his story is about a young man going into adulthood which is difficult to play. They aged him up to my age, but I think he goes through all those things young men goes through and makes all the mistakes they make. He has to learn what honor is and what duty is. When we join him in Season 1 he thinks it’s simple and being like his father will help him know what to do but obviously as the story progresses his honor is tested and has to go through it again and again.

What was your favourite scene to film in season 3?

I think my favorite scene in Season 3….again it happens at the end of the season so I can’t say what it is sorry! So far, the cave scene was a lot of fun and the climbing of the Wall was intense but an amazing experience. My favorite one is coming up so keep watching.

Are you doing other projects beside Game of Thrones?

I am! I’m in Toronto filming a film called Pompeii. It’s very exciting, my first leading role. I’m also doing a voice-over for a project called How to Train Your Dragon II. It’s fun and liberating and enjoyable…I have a few things coming out later in the year. I’m busy and I’m very lucky to be as a young actor.